


Congratulations

by myshya



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M, I love Kuroo so much, Love Confessions, Misunderstanding, Mutual Pining, haikyuu angst, haikyuu fluff, haikyuu in high school, haikyuu romance, they love each other but not see that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:21:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29660985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myshya/pseuds/myshya
Summary: You and Kuroo have a thing for each other, but are too stupid to see.
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Reader, Kuroo Tetsurou/You
Kudos: 27





	1. Congratulations part 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first work. Ever. Please forgive my lack of skill.
> 
> Originally posted on xmyshya.tumblr.com

„I’ve made a mistake…”, he didn’t expect it to actually escape his mouth.

Neither of you knows how you ended up in that situation. Where did you go wrong? Which decision was the first one leading to this doom? Does it even make sense to ask yourselves at this point?

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You still remember the day when you entered that classroom. As a foreign teenager who just moved to such an alien country due to adoption, you were nervous. Actually, nervous was a huge understatement. You kept repeating the formula and spelling of your name, even though you were quite fluent in Japanese. Can’t be too careful, right?

“Hello, I’m L/N F/N, just moved here, so please feel free to point out any language mistakes I might make! Let’s all have fun together!”. A few giggles here and there, maybe it wasn’t going to be so bad. The seat you were assigned to was in the last row, next to a boy glancing at you secretly, not that you know about it.

Sometime later your brother was summoned to school. Honestly, you were slowly getting bored while waiting for the meeting to finish. Why was it taking so long? Were you doing such a poor job assimilating? Thoughts and worries started flooding your mind, and you were sure it would end up being a massive headache, when you heard agitated voices. Their sweaty owners were wearing tracksuits, and you found yourself wondering which sports club they were in. One of the boys, beefiest and most probably the loudest, stopped and STARED at you. He looked like an owl, you dared to think. And was it your classmate with him?

You only noticed it got so cloudy once raindrops touched your face. How come you were still waiting for that meeting to end? And your brother was the one with the umbrella. You felt a mixture of anger and anxiety taking over you, until a mysterious umbrella was spread over your head. That owl boy again. Was it the first flag of doom?

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was supposed to be just one year. One last year of high school, and then new school, new environment, new people. Making friends in this particular stage of life wasn’t really a focal point. Instead, you directed all your energy into academics, and it was paying off. It didn’t take long for you to be on top of all 3 rd years. Along with your now acquainted neighbour, as it turned out, not only in the classroom (thanks to your brother, who apparently was close friends with him). You also somehow managed to befriend Bokutowl Boy, as you liked to call him, and a few others.

“Okay class, your next assignment is a project you’ll work in pairs on”, one day your teacher announced. “You’re free to pick your partners on your own, I’ll only form one group – Kuroo and L/N – so that the rest of you doesn’t freeload”. You rolled your eyes at that statement.

“Admit it, you’re secretly happy that you’ll get to see me more”, he mused.

“C’mon, I already see you almost all the time”, you shot back.

“That’s because you can’t get enough of me”

“Oh please, I only do this so I can spend more time with Bokuto”. Was it a pinch of hurt in his eyes?

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He was clearly avoiding you. Or at least trying. You had an assignment to work on, yet he kept telling you he didn’t have time. So you worked by yourself. He noticed you visiting the library and disappearing in the subject’s section. He saw you asking several clubs for permission to use their equipment for project experiments. He was hurt, yet, but he couldn’t let himself be the freeloader. So when one day he knocked to your room, you were surprised. Even more so, when he apologised while properly bowing.

“I uh… I’m sorry for what I said, that joke was insensitive…”, your voice wasn’t much louder than a whisper, but he was sitting right next to you, getting ready to work on your report.

“That was a joke?”, he looked at you with his usually hazel eyes, now more golden and glistening with hope. Or maybe you wanted it to be hope.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apparently a rumour about your academic achievements spread fast and far. It must have, because you were currently sitting with Bokuto, trying to tutor him, even though you weren’t even in the same high school. His emo modes when he couldn’t quite understand something at the first try were tiring, but also amusing. He reminded you of a lit candle, which would have its flame vanquished with a gentle blow. But it was also relatively easy to turn him back into an energetic ball of sunshine, and that never failed to make you giggle. And you were currently trying to calm your laughter and move on with the lesson.

“L/N, aren’t you having too much fun playing the teacher?”, raven haired boy stood in front of you, one hand on his hip. You were not having this, not this time.

“L/N?”, he squatted right in front of you and was now poking your shin. How irritating.

“That’s LADY L/N for ya”, you looked down on him as you kicked his knee, pushing him onto the ground. You felt slightly irritated, but his mischievous smile made you feel fuzzy inside. You found yourself hoping that the look in his eyes mirrored yours.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New Years and its festivals. It wasn’t exactly cold, but also not comfortably warm. Yet all of you met outside to bid farewell to the last 12 months and greet new ones. By then you were close friends, having spent so much time together. This was supposed to engrave them in your heart even deeper, there were so many firsts for you to experience! First festival, first yukata, first dango, first Takoyaki, first shrine visit, first fireworks since you moved here… You’d never seen so many colours, so many food stalls, so many games and challenges in one place. They all reflected in your eyes, and he couldn’t get enough of that sight. But you didn’t know.

Tired after an intense tour, bellies and hearts full, you decided to rest on a bench near a shrine you had just visited. Honestly there was never a dull moment, even after spending so many hours together you were laughing like idiots. Suddenly you realised one of your earrings was missing. It wasn’t expensive by any means, but you got it from your friends right before leaving your home country. People already started shifting towards fireworks viewing areas, so you hoped it would make the search easier in the now depopulated alley. You felt as if you were running around in circles, yet this small piece of jewellery was nowhere to be found. Until you heard Bokuto screaming “I found it!!!”. You turned around towards the owlish boy running towards you, but you noticed something else. In another part of the festival area was Kuroo, apparently being confessed to. Your consciousness started to crumble, with a loud buzz in your ears.

“…like you”, those words pulled you back to reality.

“Huh? I didn’t quite…”

“I like you F/N”, Bokuto didn’t let you finish. “I’ve always liked you, ever since I saw you in front of your school”

“I’m… I’m sorry, really sorry, I don’t…”, you felt the guilt rising in your chest, but he hushed you.

“I know, hey! Let’s go back to everyone!”, he seemed to be unfazed. You wondered if he really was.

“So uh… congratulations”, you heard Kuroo’s voice right before joining with the rest of the group.

“Huh? What are you congratulating me for?”, an ominous feeling filled you at this moment, but you didn’t know the reason. Yet.

“For getting a confession obviously”, he tried to smile.

“Oh, I uh, I rejected it”. You weren’t sure what to think of his expression. Was it shock? Surprise? Sadness? Frustration, or maybe… You didn’t have much time to figure it out, though. Girl you saw him with a moment earlier appeared, sliding her hand under his arm.

“But congratulations on yours!”, you faked a smile, but your heart was being torn to millions pieces.

„I’ve made a mistake…”, he didn’t expect it to actually escape his mouth.


	2. Congratulations part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: car accident

It was driving him insane. She was driving him insane. YOU were driving him insane. But it wasn’t your fault, no. He put himself into it, and he knew it. That’s what made it even more unbearable. But he already made a promise, he couldn’t back down. So now he was sitting during his lunch break with a girl he exchanged you for. Just because he didn’t want to assume things, but also because he DID assume things. For the first time in his life, his own observational skills failed him. This is exactly why he didn’t trust his little voice telling him you were not okay. He hoped that glint disappearing from your eyes was just his imagination, because you were still smiling so beautifully. That your voice wasn’t cracking every time you spoke, as if you needed a second to adjust and calm yourself. How could he make things right again, how could he…

“Are you listening to me?”, ah, right, he wasn’t alone. “You haven’t even touched your food, want me to feed you? Open wide and say aaaah”

“Sorry, I’m just not hungry”, he answered after staring blankly at her.

“Hmm? Okay, so like I said....”, he rubbed the top of his nose. Her neverending blabbering almost melted with the background noise. It’s not like he hated her, didn’t even dislike. She was just a part of the crowd, one of many that never understood his jokes, never showed interest in his passions (and also didn’t have any he could get interested in), always looking for acknowledgement of everyone around. So unlike you. You, you, YOU.

\-----------------------------

You spent most of the lunch breaks outside lately. Somehow the sight of that girl sitting at the same table as Kuroo, looking at him with her glowy eyes and glued smile was unbearable. Ever since that evening being in the same room as them felt suffocating. You didn’t know why. Actually, you did but still tried to push it in the darkest part of your mind. You can’t think that way, not anymore. You sighed and packed your half-eaten lunch, making your way towards the classroom. Seeing her figure in the hall already caused your body to relax a little. You couldn’t help but think that she was everything you were not. Tiny, cute, with shiny hair, dark eyes, always wearing some kind of make-up, popular. FEMININE. A perfect girl for Kuroo, as you tried to tell yourself for the past few weeks.

\-----------------------------

This longing was unfamiliar, but he had a feeling it would be a frequent guest in his chest. He hasn’t noticed how he was staring at the door until you appeared in it. When your eyes met and you smiled at him… he could swear his heart clenched. This was too much, more than he could handle. And judging by your sparkless eyes, you weren’t feeling any better.

\-----------------------------

You didn’t expect Kuroo to look in your direction. What you expected even less was that you looked at him. At his eyes, to be exact. His beautiful eyes that remained golden, even though the whole world around you was reduced to monochrome. This realisation made you smile uncontrollably, despite having another creep in… that they weren’t supposed to be looking at you.

\-----------------------------

By the time he packed his stuff and looked at your desk, you were already gone. Instead, another female was standing beside him, happily chirping about going home together.  
“Sorry, I can’t do this”, he found himself mumbling, not entirely aware he did out loud.   
“What did you just say?”, she didn’t seem sad or hurt, no. She seemed annoyed. Mad. As if her little plan was just ruined.   
“I can’t do this anymore. I can’t pretend anymore. Sorry”, he repeated, this time louder, more firmly. He watched her storm out of the classroom until Yaku patted him on his shoulder.   
“Congrats on growing some balls, Rooster”.

\-----------------------------

You kind of felt proud at how you mastered sneaking out of the classroom lately. If you did that quietly enough, no one would notice, and no one would accompany you. It was only you and a colourless city, bathed in a colourless sunshine, filled with muffled sounds. That’s why you didn’t even notice reaching an intersection until you were on it. Or more precisely, until you heard someone shouting your name. You turned to check who this voice belonged to, but stopped halfway locking your eyes with a car, muscles tensing as if preparing for the impact.

\-----------------------------

Kuroo ran out of the school premises and saw you from a distance. You were far, but with his long legs and athletic ability, it shouldn’t be too hard to catch up with you. He was getting considerably closer, and felt relieved when lights signaled stopping… BUT YOU DIDN’T. He didn’t remember ever running that fast, in his whole life, but it was still not enough, there was no way he would reach you in time. Just like there was no chance of the vehicle halting, despite brakes pushed to the floor. If only he left earlier, if only he ran faster, if only he… he could have saved you.

\-----------------------------

The only thing you saw after opening your eyes was his face. His ebony black hair stuck to his forehead. His eyes darkened to caramel shade and filled with tears. His sleeve trying to absorb some of it as he rubbed it against his nose. You wanted to wipe them away with your hand, but you couldn’t move it. You could only stare.  
Next time you opened your eyes he was gone. You must have made a sound, because right after opening your mouth Kuroo reappeared in your sight. He was saying something to you, but you couldn’t hear. The ringing in your ears was successfully blocking everything else. You saw him reaching his hand out and brushing hair out of your face, and then it all turned black.

\-----------------------------

\-----------------------------

Everything hurts. There’s a steady beeping noise somewhere near your head. Or at least you think it’s near your head. You’re trying to open your eyes, but the sharp light burns into your irises. Your tongue feels like sandpaper in your mouth, and the first try to say something ends in a coughing fit. Someone squeezes your hand, but you’re too blinded by the lights to see who it is. A moment later a straw is gently pushed in between your lips, and you suck on it. Water never tasted that good. You only manage to whisper a weak “thank you” before falling back to sleep.

\-----------------------------

Suspended between dreams and reality, you hear voices. Voices that can’t be louder than whispers, and they’re not aimed at you, but sound as if they’re calling you nonetheless. This time there’s no sharp light threatening to burn your eyeballs, and instead, you’re greeted with a dimmed sunlight. Must be an evening or at least late afternoon then. You turn your head in the other direction, and whispers suddenly stop. Owners of the voices look at you timidly and then at each other with anger.  
“You woke her up, you moron!”, one of them whisper-shouted.   
“Me?! Are you fucking kidding me?! I wasn’t the only one blabbing!”, hissed the other. He was also the first one to approach you and take your hand into his. “H-how are you… feeling?”   
“Uhh… dizzy? Confused… and tired”, you mumbled, painkillers still dulling you a little. “Why… why’s he here?”, you whisper to your brother sitting right next to you, pointing at Kuroo with just your eyes.   
“Oh, don’t think about it now, you need to rest. But just know that he was here every day, and he was the one who saved you, pretty much”, his hand now stroking your hair. “You can relax now, it’s all gonna be okay.”

\-----------------------------

It feels good to be back in your room, and to have Kuroo beside you. Even if all he did was tutor you about the things you missed. Luckily most of the damage was caused by shock, and not actual impact, so you were released quickly. Still, you were advised to stay home for some more time, and that’s exactly what you were doing. And if that was the reason why you were currently alone in your room with your neighbour… no reason to complain. You still haven’t asked him about what happened then, you couldn’t find the courage to. Not when he has so much worry in his eyes, and not when he is getting uneasy every time you give as much as a grimace.  
“You know, you don’t have to treat me like I’m made of glass”, he freezes. There’s a shadow creeping on his face. “I won’t shatter, I promise”. He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

\-----------------------------

Your brother was hesitant about your request to go back to school. Most of the accident consequences were gone now, and Kuroo also managed to catch up with his tutoring. There was absolutely no reason not to. He glances at you the whole way from the gate of your house, you pretend you don’t notice. It goes well for most of the day, you’re able to focus, only suffering from a mild headache sometime before the last period. Until you hear THAT, at least.  
“It’s all your fault, you bitch!”, you look up and squint. Oh, it’s her. Right when you managed to forget she existed.   
“Could you please leave me alone?”, headache now worsening due to a slight rise of stress in your system.   
“Everything was perfectly fine! Until you jumped in front of that car, and snapped him from me!”   
You want to ask her about it, but she’s already gone. Maybe you should have listened to your brother. You also don’t see her interact with Kuroo ever again, except for glowering, but you don’t mention it.

\-----------------------------

He wanted to talk to you. He really did. But every time he was about to call your name, it got stuck in his throat. After all he had put you through, was he worthy of saying it? Of being close to you? It was all his fault. If only he had paid more attention, he would have known you would reject Bokuto. If he had been more courageous, he wouldn’t have distanced himself after the festival. If he had run faster, he would have caught you in time. No, he wasn’t worthy. He promised himself he would watch over you from the sidelines, making sure you were always safe, but never putting you at risk of hurting you again.

\-----------------------------

You tried to reach out to him. You really did. But every time you tried to approach him, he walked away to talk to one of the friends he spotted. Every time you looked at him, he averted his eyes from you. He came up with last minute excuses, when Bokuto asked both of you to hang out. He did respond to your texts, but his replies were short, emotionless, forced. So, after some time, you stopped trying. Only sending him a weak, polite smile, as you passed him in the halls, in the streets, on the stairs of your house when he visited your brother. Each one of those smiles feeling like a knife pushed deeper and deeper into your heart.

\-----------------------------

He was relieved, grateful almost, when you stopped chasing after him. Each time he heard your voice, felt your presence, heard someone mention you… was piercing his heart like a million needles. Each text from you brought tears to his eyes, and darkness to his chest. So when it all stopped, he hoped he would find some peace. Yet somehow, each one of your dutiful smiles pained him even more.

\-----------------------------

Days were much brighter and warmer. Not really surprising, it was the end of May after all. You were being pulled by your brother through the streets of the very lively city, towards the place where the crowd concentrated. He had insisted you wore a yukata, as a way to bid farewell to your teenage years, and welcome supposedly adult university life. He was telling you to hurry, that you’d be late, but these geta shoes definitely weren’t comfortable. Luckily, it wasn’t very far from your home.  
You noticed Bokuto from afar, his huge stature towering over the crowd and salt-and-pepper-like hair making it hard not to. As you approached him, he pulled you in a tight hug, his whisper “glad you made it” drowned out by the noise. You glanced over his shoulder, noticing the boy he brought with him. Judging by his expression he was forced to come too and had no idea you’d be here.

“Ah! Taiyaki!”, you exclaimed as your face lit up. It was one of your favourite festival foods. Kuroo tried to grab you before you ran, but he was too late. Again. And again his mind was invaded with a whirlwind of thoughts. You could be swept away by the crowd. You could hurt your feet. You could faint. You could be approached by some suspicious people. Or you could be back safely, a wide smile adorning your features, as you bit into the fish’ head.

Late in the evening, your feet started to remind you how much you had walked in the past few hours. Trying to find a spot to sit and rest, you didn’t even notice that you separated from the group. Not until you turned around to say something to your brother, but you only saw Kuroo settling next to you.  
“Where’s everybody?”   
“Huh? Right behind…”, his eyes opened wide with shock. There was nobody behind him. It was just you and him, for the first time in a long while. You used to feel comfortable around him, comfortable enough to just sit in silence, shoulder to shoulder. But now it was deafening, making your mind spiraling, lungs short of breath. You desperately needed to say something, anything… and then the first round of fireworks shot.   
“Did you know that fireworks are red thanks to strontium salts?”   
His heart skipped a beat when he looked at you. At your relaxed face, astonished eyes, gentlest of smiles. Of course he knew, but hearing it from you made it magical. Your voice made it magical.   
“And they’re green because of barium compounds, blue due to copper and…”   
He reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear. You were so beautiful when you turned your head to look directly at him, cheek sliding into his palm, colours dancing on your skin. Tetsurou couldn't help himself. Not when his heart was overflowing with so much love he had tried to suppress for so long. So when he leant in and kissed you, none of you knew if the fireworks were shooting in the sky or in your hearts.   
“Congratulations!”, Bokuto and your brother shouted, as your lips parted.


End file.
